From Publishers Weekly
Raphael applies his talents as a suspense writer (he is the author of five mystery novels in addition to the short story collection Dancing on Tisha B'Av) to this unconventional Holocaust novel, a family drama about the upheaval caused by a million-dollar legacy of German reparations money. The passive, introspective narrator, Paul Menkus, is a 42-year-old Michigan librarian who travels home to Manhattan after a heart attack claims his mother, Rose, a Holocaust survivor. He's the sole heir of her reparations-based fortune, which brings him into conflict with his younger siblings, underachieving, bisexual Simon and beautiful but difficult Dina, whose marriage is failing. Rose was in good health when she died, and Paul's inquiries into her death provide an element of suspense. The family interactions range from turgid to poignant, but overall Raphael successfully captures the family dynamic. He also adds narrative momentum with a romantic subplot (Paul reunites with old flame Valerie, a Holocaust memoirist who stayed close to the family after the couple's postcollege breakup). But Paul's mother remains an underdeveloped, shadowy figure, and the specifics of her Holocaust experiences are only sketchily outlined in the closing chapters. The climax, which hinges on a revelation delivered by a seemingly sweet elderly neighbor who played a pivotal role in Rose's demise, is rushed and farfetched. Raphael never quite delivers on the potential of his premise, but the sharpness of the family portrait and the appeal of the romantic subplot make this an engaging read.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Paul, the son of Holocaust survivors, painfully admires and resents his icy, critical mother, who has refused to describe her experiences during the war, and when she dies, mother and son have had almost no contact for a decade. So Paul is surprised, and his younger siblings are shocked, when they learn she has left Paul "the German money," reparations paid her years ago. Returning to Manhattan with his brother and sister, Paul tries to discover why he was bequeathed what is now more than a million dollars and, more important, why the details of her death mysteriously conflict. Revisiting old haunts stirs memories of the girlfriend, still single, whom he fled because of her identification with the survivor community. He looks her up, and the reconnection encourages him to face his doubts and fears. Although the theme of being gay and Jewish in America dominates Raphael's heartfelt departure from his brittle, clever mysteries (Let's Get Criminal, 1996, et seq.), you need be neither to enjoy this story of rediscovered romance. Roberta Johnson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Washington Post, September 27, 2003
"Prodigious, beautifully modulated, one of the most powerful suspense novels in years: Kafka meets Philip Roth meets le Carré."

Detroit Jewish News, September 26, 2003
"A finely executed quest, voyage of discovery, and hopeful tribute to the ability of the damaged human heart to heal."

Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, September 27, 2003
"A powerful, exciting novel....Raphael carefully escorts his readers into the sad, touching lives of the Menkus siblings."

Publishers Weekly, September 22, 2003
"The sharpness of the family portrait and the appeal of the romantic subplot make this an engaging read."

Foreword, Vol. 6, No. 5, 2003
"Merges intrigue, psychological perspective, subtle humor, introspection and self-realization to create a story that is clear and engaging."

Book Description
"Lev Raphael is a daring writer_one who will not be -restrained by genre, but who tells his story with all the tools at his command. The German Money combines all of Raphael_s estimable talents, delivering an emotional thriller about a totally believable contemporary family coming to terms with fifty years of silence."_Edmund WhiteBest known for Dancing on Tisha B_Av, the groundbreaking story collection exploring the lives of children of Holocaust survivors, Lev Raphael is also the author of five popular mysteries. Now he combines his talents in a story of emotional suspense.Paul has spent his life running_from New York, the city of his birth; from his beautiful beshert; from contact with his own siblings; but mostly from his mother, a Holocaust survivor of inexplicable coldness. Upon her mysterious death, the children face shocking questions. What caused her to die? Why did she divide their inheritance so that Paul, the least favorite son, was singled out to receive the most, the dreaded "German money,"a bequest of a million dollars accrued from German reparations to survivors . . . a gift as cynical as it is generous. "Lev Raphael_s new novel is a powerful, haunting and erotic tale. The stunning narrative builds to a shocking -denouement and kept me turning pages faster and faster to learn the truth."_Linda FairsteinLev Raphael is the author of thirteen books and known internationally as an insightful chronicler of the lives of the children of Holocaust survivors. Winner of the Lambda Literary Award, among many prizes, his short works have appeared in two dozen anthologies, including American Jewish Fiction: A Century of Stories. He is a book critic for National Public Radio and mysteries columnist for the Detroit Free Press.

Excerpted from The German Money by Lev Raphael. Copyright © 2003. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
"I used to think that some people had a true gift for life, more than just a talent or even a skill. Call it a richness of being. While others, like my family, like me, were paupers, doomed to struggle against their own inner poverty. I was wrong, of course--but then there's always a story if you think you can see around corners."

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Paul has spent his life running - from New York, the city of his birth; from the beautiful love of his life; from contact with his own brother and sister; but mostly from his mother, a bitter Holocaust survivor of almost inexplicable coldness. Upon her death, the children face shocking questions. What caused this apparently healthy women to die? Why did she divide the inheritance so that Paul, the least favorite son, was singled out to receive the most, the dreaded 'German money,' a bequest of over a million dollars accrued from German reparations to survivors...a gift as cynical as it is generous?

FROM THE CRITICS

The Washington Post

What a gift for a writer to be able to sustain unflagging, sweaty-palm suspense in a novel almost through character alone. This is what the prodigious Lev Raphael pulls off in The German Money, a mystery whose "shocking denouement," as one jacket blurb calls it, comes way late in the novel. Yet the moment is so organic to the whole thing that it feels as if a boiling volcano has finally let loose. — Richard Lipez

Publishers Weekly

Raphael applies his talents as a suspense writer (he is the author of five mystery novels in addition to the short story collection Dancing on Tisha B'Av) to this unconventional Holocaust novel, a family drama about the upheaval caused by a million-dollar legacy of German reparations money. The passive, introspective narrator, Paul Menkus, is a 42-year-old Michigan librarian who travels home to Manhattan after a heart attack claims his mother, Rose, a Holocaust survivor. He's the sole heir of her reparations-based fortune, which brings him into conflict with his younger siblings, underachieving, bisexual Simon and beautiful but difficult Dina, whose marriage is failing. Rose was in good health when she died, and Paul's inquiries into her death provide an element of suspense. The family interactions range from turgid to poignant, but overall Raphael successfully captures the family dynamic. He also adds narrative momentum with a romantic subplot (Paul reunites with old flame Valerie, a Holocaust memoirist who stayed close to the family after the couple's postcollege breakup). But Paul's mother remains an underdeveloped, shadowy figure, and the specifics of her Holocaust experiences are only sketchily outlined in the closing chapters. The climax, which hinges on a revelation delivered by a seemingly sweet elderly neighbor who played a pivotal role in Rose's demise, is rushed and farfetched. Raphael never quite delivers on the potential of his premise, but the sharpness of the family portrait and the appeal of the romantic subplot make this an engaging read. 15-city author tour. (Sept.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Much has been written about the problems facing children of Holocaust survivors. In this quirky novel, Raphael (Little Miss Evil), whose own parents were survivors, explores a particularly dysfunctional family. Paul's mother has never discussed her experiences during the war. He and his two siblings are estranged, and they are all unsuccessful at the art of living happily or well. When their mother dies unexpectedly, the three come together in New York to argue, accuse, and search for the vestiges of a family life they never really experienced. Complicating any hope of reconciliation is their mother's will, which leaves the bulk of her estate, $1 million in untouched German reparation money, to Paul. Although the novel is quite readable, Paul is a self-absorbed, unappealing protagonist (he complains about having chosen librarianship as a career!), and the resolution of the mystery concerning his mother's life and death, plus the exorcism of his own personal demons in the last 20 pages, are precipitous and difficult to believe. Purchase for public libraries with extensive collections of Jewish fiction.-Andrea Kempf, Johnson Cty. Community Coll. Lib., Overland Park, KS Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews